Under Construction
by himitsutsubasa
Summary: Bunny just wants to illustrate children's books. When he gets a job offer to design worlds for Nicholas St. North, he can't turn it down. Along the way, he meets a motley cast of characters ranging from a mute neurologist to a self-guilting crypto-zoologist. In other words, North hires Bunny as the architect in an Inception. Warning: fandoms crossing left and right.
1. Chapter 1

Aster just stared at the man in the suit. He knew that face and definitely that paunch. Oh, god, he was taking an interview with the devil.

* * *

Better to start at, well, the start. E. Aster Bunnymund walked carefully. His steps were light as air. Each was carefully placed, like dancer's or a boxer's. He was both.

"Can I take your order?" And dirt poor.

The girl rattled off her order and his hand took down her words. Three cheeseburgers, fries, and a chocolate milkshake, he noted absent mindedly that no girl could eat that alone and look like a twig... Well, they could but then that girl would be... Yeah, he was listening way too much to Alen too much. The bloke read women like wine menus and went through then like they went through tissues. He really shouldn't listen to Alen.

He made his way up to the counter, where Leah waited to pass the order along. She smiled at him.

"Guess what I did?" Her green streaked red curls bounced and green eyes sparkled.

Aster smiled at his friend. He's Aussie; she's Irish. They somehow bonded over an Easter break stuck in Sydney in which he decided to move to America. Fat lot of luck that was. Then of course the Irish lass followed and here they were, disobeying her parents and trying find jobs in New York.

"What?"

She grinned. "I got the restaurant to set up a compost bin in the back. We have recycling, compost, and garbage now!" Aster patted her head. She was such a greenie.

"That's great. Now, pass this order along to Sully, why don't you?" he asked nodding to the chef in the back. The man didn't look up from his game console. Leah rolled her eyes and did so. Aster looked out over the restaurant. It was empty and on a Friday night, which just proved business wasn't good.

"Aster," Leah called. Her face puckered into a frown. "Did your mind go off on the Tardis?"

Aster, returning to earth, laughed. "Never without you! I know you like Tenant far too much, greenie."

Leah cracked a small smile. "Well, the boss wants to talk to you." Aster nodded, taking the order.

He deposited it on the girl's table with a quick, "Enjoy your chokkie," and rabbited off. Ms. Marcella didn't like to be kept waiting.

* * *

He nudged open the door to her office with a knock. "Ms. Marcella?"

A blonde woman of his age waved him in. Marcella Primavera was a short, and spirit like woman. She always dressed in pastels and bright colors that clung like blossoms to wisteria branches. Her eyebrows pulled forward into a frown and gnawed on her lower lip. She wasn't cut out for running a small business. She was more of a give the poor a voice type person. Aster knew she didn't want to take over her father's little diner, but there would Anthea's be without her? She gestured for him to sit in one of her floral arm chairs.

"What's hopping?" he asked, sounding nonchalant. Very rarely did she look so frustrated.

"Aster, you've worked here for three years now. I..." she halted. Aster wanted to brush the tears out of her eyes. They'd become friends, even dated for a little while before going back to friendship, and he didn't like seeing the people he cared about cry.

"Am I being fired?" She hid her face and shook her head.

"It's about Leah. I wanted to know if... You'd..." she choked on the last word. Everyone at the little diner was family. To be without one another just felt wrong. "We're barely making it as is. I don't think I can keep her on. You're more experienced and the regulars know you better. I don't have a choice."

"Marcy..." Aster put his hand over hers. She pulled her hand back, not looking him in the eye. "Marcy, fire me. I didn't tell you this, but I have an interview at the gym down the street, teaching a tai chi class. Leah's working on her Ph.D. She needs this more than I do."

Marcella nodded.

"E. Aster Bunnymund, despite your hard work and dedication, I am sorry to say you are fired. Please, return your uniform and vacate your locker as soon as possible. I will notify your coworkers. You have done well, may fortune guide you wherever you go and in whatever you do." Aster shook her hand.

"It's been great working with you Marcella."

"Likewise, Aster." He turned and left for the door.

"Hey," she called out. Aster turned around.

"You never told me. What is your first name?"

He smiled and she shook her head. "Go on then."

The slightly cooler air of the diner embraced him, as he stepped out a free man.

* * *

Leah looked up from the newspaper she was reading and asked, "What happened?"

He shrugged. "Diner's too slow. I got fired."

She blanked at him. "What?"

"No worries. Remember that ad we saw yesterday? How many people are going to apply for a tai chi class?" He walked to the back.

Sully looked up from his Mario Cart. "Hey, bro. Fired?"

Aster laughed. "Sorry, mate; looks like you're last man standing."

"I already was, flower boy. Going to leave us for some hot chicks?" The device blinked and flashed as Sully rounded bother bend.

"More like little kids and the elderly," Leah chided.

"I have to get the job first." Aster cracked open us locker. An extra t-shirt, a few photos, and a sketch book into his messenger bag.

He gave them a cocky grin. "I got my Irish Lass and Lucky Bamboo. Who knows? Someone at Marks and Mitchell might call be back first!"

Leah rolled her eyes in good nature, "Remember us little people."

"It'll be my shout," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah! Take that! Boom chicka bow wow!" Sully cheered as he crossed the finish line.

* * *

Aster stepped out of his shower. Two days until his interview at the gym. Mentally, he went over the names of all the stances. His answering machine buzzed.

"Hello, Mike Ross from Marks and Mitchell." Aster tripped over his paint splattered rug. "I'm calling on E. Aster Bunnymund on behalf of Harvey Specter?"

"Here!" He could hear Mike laughing on the other end.

"What's up, man? I thought you'd be at work." There was a clack of keys on the other end.

Aster sniffed. "This Aussie's got in interview on Thursday." He tightened the towel around his waist and padded off to the kitchen.

Mike mumbled something that had to do with can openers and muttered, "Great. Pencil one in for tomorrow at nine."

Aster almost poured the coffee on his hand. "What? Are you barmy?"

"No. Apparently, someone Harry knew wants to meet you." mike continued tapping away at the other end.

"Your tall poppy's actual got a writer for me?" A light bounce found its way into his step.

Mike grunted, "More like the firm is going to get a big check if our mystery man likes you."

Aster stopped in his tracks. "It sounds like you're selling me to a drug ring."

"We try to sell you on a regular basis. I think that's our job. You in, or I have to put you on Harvey's smudge list for a little?" Mike sighed into the phone. Aster pulled it away from his ear. That was... Odd.

"Smudge?" he asked.

Now infinitely more cheerful, Mike chirped, "I came up with it. People who either refused him, or annoy him, but are necessary."

"The weird guy, Louis, on that list?" Aster barely remembered him.

There was a click on the other end. "Hm... No..."

"So, I'll be the only one?"

"No, Jacinda Barrett has yet to call him back about dinner."

Aster frowned. "You're not supposed to tell me things like that."

"She's never going to call him back, so I don't see the issue."

Aster sighed, "Mike..."

"Aster..." the little dipstick mimicked. "Chill. She's married to Gabriel Macht. Got a pen?" He rattled off an address.

Aster winced as he penned the address onto his sketch of Notre Dame. "Yeah... This place at nine?"

Mike chirped back, "Sharp, and sketch some scenery. Don't want to get smudged!"

"You're learning far too much from Jessica."

Aster just listened to the receiver click and the dial tone play.

* * *

Aster breathed deeply trying not to choke on air. When he took down the address, he googled it. In the meantime, his computer fried after he spilled coffee on it.

The Workshop, he was in The Workshop, the home of one the biggest corporate enterprises on earth. This place singlehandedly kept Christmas alive in fourteen countries.

He still liked Easter better, but he had to give kudos. It was a pretty big freaking deal. He was also in the tallest building in New York. Not that that made him uncomfortable. No, it didn't make him uncomfortable at all. He was calm and cool and... Who was he kidding? There was a reason why he wasn't looking out the wall of glass behind his interviewer.

The man stroked his beard while going over a few preliminary sketches Aster brought along. A cavernous, cave city sprung from the back ground in one. In another, a castle of pink and violet, filled with Arabic influence, dominated the scene. Then, he had a little cabin, with rooms filled with Marchen and baroque patterns. There was a huge cavern filled with gothic architecture and a simple street.

Aster grimaced as the man's face contorted into a disapproving frown. His leg tapped silently in double time, hoping he didn't look jittery. Why couldn't the earth just open up and send him back to his little hole of an apartment?

The man sniffed. "I like."

Aster stilled. Nicholas St. North, king of children's toys and the center of Forbes's Real Santa article, liked his work. Oh, the room started spinning.

The man took one look at his face and laughed. The sound rocked the table. "You will be great designer. I feel it in my belly."

"Err... Yeah, Mr. St. North." Aster breathed deeply.

"I hire you now! Call me North; I call you Bunnymund." Aster nodded. He should take this as a sign of good faith.

North grinned and looked at his resume. "Sorry, must go through motions, you know. You say you worked in cafe and flower shop?"

Aster nodded. "Anthea's is a small place by Murray's. They couldn't afford to keep me on. 68th Street Flowers went bankrupt." North nodded.

"Harvey say you want to paint books?"

"Yeah, little kiddie books. Tell them stories." Aster went on, "Give them something to think about. Books are really good for kids. They give a sort of happiness that you can't get anywhere else. It's really hard to explain, but..." He trailed off. What was the word for it?

North leaned Back in his chair. "Tell me, Bunnymund, what is your center?"

"Center?" The big man got out of his char and lumbered to the walnut shelf along the wall. On the top shelf, there sat a matryoshka. Aster blinked. He recalled seeing that as he walked in. The detail, even from the distance, was impressive. But, he thought, that's just a toy, isn't it?

"No, Bunnymund, this isn't just a toy. Take a closer look." North pressed the doll into Aster's hands. He ran his fingers over the painted wood, feeling the texture. The doll was made extremely well, almost as if it grew into that shape.

"What do you see?"

"You?"

"What else do you see?"

"You're scary?" "Intimidating?" He searched for the crease and cracked it open.

He looked at the smiling face, "You're happy. Oh, jolly!" North beamed at him and motioned for him to move on.

Aster opened the next. He asked, bewildered, "You're a vampire?" North choked on air and gave him a desperate look. Aster squinted.

"Mysterious?" North sighed, shaking his head with a patient smile on his face.

Aster smiled at the next. "You're caring." He ran his thumb pad over the deer.

He opened the final layer. "And you're a child?"

"What does child do when face with Santa?"

Aster looked beyond the sinking feeling in his chest. Christmas wasn't always... Sweet in his childhood. It was more asking for a family every Christmas and not getting one. He remembered the last Christmas he believed in Santa. It was terrible to stake all your belief in one thing, just a sign, only to find nothing when morning broke.

He thought to the little girl he saw in the lobby down stairs. He knew the look in her eyes as she gazed up at the huge globe in the center of the room and all those glowing dots that represented homes to be filled with presents. There was purity there. Something only found in childhood.

"Wonder." Aster gazed at the little wide-eyed babe in his palm.

"Yes, wonder, like a child. I see all the wonder in world and put in my toys." Aster reassembled the matryoshka and placed it in North's hand.

"What is your center?"

Aster glanced over his sketches... "Imagination?"

North rolled his eyes. "You will learn. Rakesh told so. Now, I get Phil; move your things."

Aster blanked. "What? Rakesh? Move?"

The large man, Aster presumed bodyguard, waved to North and headed to the elevator.

The older man grinned. "Yes, job require you live with me."

"What exactly does this job entail?" Aster paled. Was he really being sold to the Russian mob? That was just a joke. Just a joke. He was far too well trained in martial arts, and hairy to be a good commodity. Sure, there all types but not for his type. Who liked people who liked Easter over Christmas? You had to be at least a little odd in the head.

North shrugged on his coat as Aster gathered his things together. He listed off the job detail, two things specifically. "You will build world, find my son."

"What? How are those related?" Aster stilled. Okay... A little odd in the head...

North took one look at his face and shrugged, like Aster was missing something very important. "Sandman explain," he said.

Aster trailed after him to the elevator. "Sandman? You're kidding."

He realized as the elevator door shut behind him, that North was serious.

"Crikey"

* * *

Read on AO3 because there are so many fandoms crossing into this that I can't even express what a mess it would be to list everything. I also have slathering of OC's and a good number of editorial changes.

If you continue to read here, please pop me a message every once in a while otherwise I might forget to post. Thanks ahead of time.


	2. Chapter 2

His first impression was "How the hell are we in suburban New York?" Bunnymund stared at the trees lining the drive and a dark forest that extended far beyond. Shadows fell along the branches. The colors screamed at him, begging to be remembered. He wanted to pull out some watercolors, or even prisma colors and sketch this. Twenty something minutes from the urban fringe he was enveloped in forest. North chuckled behind him.

"You like?" The Russian waved to the forest. He looked mildly surprised.

Aster gaped at him incredulously. "God, yes."

The man sighed looking at his hands. "You are lot like Jack." Aster jolted with the road. First Rakesh then Sandman and now Jack. He remembered why he should be on edge. There was an odd silence in the car, a thick miasma. Bunnymund stared at the tree line until it vanished.

"Bloody hell." He stared at the three tier, half glass, half hardwood cabin. Angular construction and sharp lines clawed at his eyes as stark contrasts blinded him. He stepped out of the car and North guide him up the steps and to a room. Behind him he could hear North snickering about how he still had to see the sleigh.

* * *

Aster settled in, calling everyone who needed to be called.

That started with Mike. The little twat laughed his face off.

"God, man, we really did sell you to the mafia, huh? This is hilarious! Harvey, come listen to this!" He was still laughing as Bunnymund hung up.

The he called Leah. She sighed and muttered about their lonely apartment. She wished him well and reminded him to get a freaking radioactive talk box, so she wouldn't worry. He made a mental note to pick up a prepaid cell.

He called up his land lord next. The tiny little Asian man who was most certainly related to Sully with their insane ability to not pay any attention at all and still pay attention complained very loudly into the phone and told him that some men had ransacked his apartment. Of course, then he had to explain to Mr. Chan that the men weren't actually dangerous and that his things had been moved more or less under his expressed consent.

Mr. Chan then told him that Sully just got home and wanted to talk to him.

"I knew you two were related, ya ruddy reed!" He crowed into the phone. Behind him he was sure he heard Phil moving his box of art supplies, or rather the first of his boxes of art supplies, into the room. The thick carpet barely masked the thump.

He heard some clatter of pans in the background and Sully call out something in Mandarin. "Yeah, sure," he said into the phone. "And bamboo isn't a reed. It's a grass."

Bunny played with the gold tassels on the green boudoir pillows. He liked the flowing pattern on the comforter, very floral. Sully prattled on. "Reeds also happen to be a type of grass."

Hm… He could definitely see the pattern in other places. Yeah, he could turn it into frost, why not. It's pretty and he can do whatever he wants with pretty. "Sully, they're just reeds."

"No, they are not. You brought it up man." He could practically feel the bruised ego through the phone. Sully was pouting, full on "Leah and her ruddy red hair have nothing on this" pouting.

Mario Cart and bamboo summed up Sullivan "Sully" Lin just like that. Bunny got off his bed and promptly almost tripped over an easel. When had that gotten there? He padded over the lush, green carpet and threw open the pale yellow curtains. Trees as far as the eye could see.

"Sorry. But, hey, how about I send you some photos of some really nice trees?"

He could hear a little grumble on the other end. "Your nice or my nice?"

Botany students, you can never do anything with them. "Your nice." He reached into one of the poxes and plucked out a camera. He'd gotten it second hand from none other than Sully with the promise to take photos of plants all whenever he had the chance. Of course, that ended with his shots being less about anatomy and more about the artistry of the shot, but who was complaining?

"How are you going to do that?"

"Well, my new place has a sea of tress right outside. I could easily send you a few shots. Oh, look is that a Carex nigromarginata?" He could hear and audible gasp from the other end. Offense forgotten.

"What? Are you sure? How tall is it? What is the rainfall there? Where are you?"

Bunny listed off his rough coordinates on Google earth. All while configuring his camera. Oh, yeah, he knew what he was going to do first.

"It's not supposed to live in that area! Aster, do you have any idea what this means?"

He cracked open the window and started snapping shots of the forest, phone sandwiched between his face and his shoulder. "It means you'll forgive me?"

"Forgive you? I'll drag you in front of the Department of Environmental Conservation's Rare Plant board and make you testify. We could be famous!" Leave it to sully to get excited about a tree that might or might not be there. He'd taken a wild guess because it sure looked like the sketches Sully kept shoving in his face, but he couldn't be sure from a distance.

"Calm yourself. I'm not sure it's a carex nigromarginata."

Sully, never to be daunted the little bugger, crowed, "Can I get a one way ticket to wherever you are?"

"That's a sucky pickup line," Bunny muttered.

"Whatever. Where did you move to?"

Bunny slung the camera strap over his neck and realized the file of yeti-like men finished with his boxes. He noted the art supplies were kindly placed in one stack and his boxes of books and doodads were near the couch (oh, he had a plush couch in his room) and shelving.

"I'm living at St. North's."

"St. North, like toy mogul St. North?" He paused. "Did Mike finally sell you to the Russian mob?"

"Nope, though I do think Donna might have tried." Ah, the pretty redhead always made it known that if he so much as made a Jessica Rabbit joke he would roast over a spit.

"Well, talk to your land lord and …. Bye. I think the fried rice is on fire." He heard something that sounded like "Wei she me?" and "Jiu jiu, wo zuo tian gen ni shuo le. Bie an na…" and what not. He hung up and glanced at the boxes. Okay…

He got through A-K of his library, discovering that he did indeed have Howl's Moving Castle, the book and movie, but that they were placed under H instead of W and M respectively.

Bunny stretched and collapsed a few boxes. Okay, so about three-fourths of his stuff was in still in card, not bad. He picked the camera up off its place on the c-shelf (yes, he liked to be organized, thank you very much) and padded out the door.

His shoes hit soft carpet and sunk in. What was with North and these fur sheets he called decoration? He managed to somehow make it to the end of the hall and down the cherry wood stairs case. Yep, Nami, the interior decorator he knew from his days in art school, would swoon.

"Oof!" Bunny reached out and caught a fluffy mob of feathers? The bundle quickly righted and extricated itself from his grasp.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" The feathers dusted themselves off with very human hands. The girl pulled back the hood and revealed a multicolor bob. She blinked her, rather alarmingly, large, violet eyes and smiled shyly at him.

"No problem. I'm fine and," he assessed the camera, "the camera's fine too." He held out a hand.

"E. Aster Bunnymund, part-time captive and full-time artist." He winked and she flushed a little.

"Titania LeFey, most people call me Tooth. May I call you Aster?" She took his hand and shook lightly with a little squeeze.

He nodded. Hm… sparky this one. "If I can call you Tooth." She grinned in perfect ultra-white.

She more or less dragged him down the stairs and a set of corridors and he realizes that (a) if she was leading him to his imminent doom, he would have no idea that that was happening, and (b) North should have a ruddy map made of the grounds because he is as lost as a duckling in a mole hill. Not that he's a duckling; it's just an analogy.

"Let's go outside. I know Jamie's dying to meet you." Tat- no, Tooth hauled him along and practically tossed him out the door.

He didn't know she had it in her.

"Who's this?" Bunny looked around and then kicked off his shoes. The ground sunk into his skin and reminded him that, oh, yeah, he's an outdoors type of guy. He turned to the speaker and was mildly amused to see a brown eyed young man staring back at him as he almost, just shy really, rolled around on the perfectly manicured ground because New York is a concrete jungle of pollution and grime and all things not good for Mother Earth.

The kid narrowed his eyes at him which wasn't as scary as he intended it to be with a smear of glitter right under his left eye. Tooth hopped on to the ground in her bright yellow sandal heels and gestured to the manly ball of joy. "Jamie, E. Aster Bunnymund. Aster, Jamie Bennet."

"Bunnymund," Jamie said slowly. A streak appeared behind him.

"HOP HOP!" Aster barely got the camera out of the way as a five-years-old child barreled into him.

"Whoa, who is this?" The little blonde bundle bounced around him looking absolutely mystified, as if a rabbit just stood up on its hind legs and started talking.

"BLUE!" She yelled, reaching for his head. Bunny placed the camera on the nearby table and knelt down. The little girl tugged on the longer parts of his hair and giggles. Gosh, if only girls stayed this easy to please.

"Mr. Bunnymund, this is Pippa, my niece." Bunnymund made a cursory hop and the child, Pippa, laughed again. He pulled her onto his back and broke into a run.

He could hear her laughing in his ear as he belted around the garden, jumping over hedges and ducking under low hanging branches. The table appeared and disappeared from his view as he spans and twirled Pippa around. He couldn't remember the last time he played with a child.

"Older or younger?" He called back to Jamie a little breathlessly. He couldn't remember the last time he ran a full mile with extra weight on either.

The man grinned a little taking in his niece's joy at meeting the new, odd man. "Elder sister, her name's Sophie." Bunnymund set the dizzy little tyke down and flopped into a chair.

"Sophie, eh? She anything like her mum?"

"I remember she used to call the Easter Bunny 'Hop Hop'." Jamie sat in the chair across as Tooth and Pippa, bless her little heart, was wearing fairy wings and dancing in a circle of mushrooms. He handed the winded man a drink. "You must be the new architect North hired."

Bunny took the proffered drink and sipped gratefully. "Architect, mate? Yeah, I guess. I took a few classes. More for illustrating children's books myself."

Jamie raised an eyebrow and then lowered it with a laugh. "Of course. Of course." He extended a slightly calloused hand. "He'd definitely pick a fun one."

"What's that mean?"

"All the other guys were boring as hell. Like, there was this one guy, Nash. He was a major creeper. He ever scared Seraphina, and that's saying something. Then, there was that one freak Kat dragged in."

"You mean a cat dragged someone in?"

"No, Katharine Walker, she's… well, I guess you'll meet her later." He did not like the sound of that. "You're just different. Most were kind of stogy and un-fun."

Bunny picked up a cake from the tea stand and bit into it, strawberry short cake and fluffy as heavenly clouds. He might have interrupted a fairy tea party. "Un-fun isn't a word."

"Microsoft accepts it. Yeah, they were so… Jack didn't like them at all." The lack of an adjective alarmed him. Yes, it alarmed his very much because people who don't deserve adjectives are typically not remembered when they're dead. It's a dull grey headstone and the cold, cold earth for them.

"He's not boring. He's unorthodox."

Bunny leapt out of his chair poised to strike. He promptly realized that was a very bad idea as the immaculately dressed woman with four inch heels. She looked perfectly fine in the heat.

Jamie smirked at her. "Hey, Kat, we were just talking about you."

"If you were referring to the time I dragged in my uncle…" She gave him a warning glare and Bunny felt his mind fill in the rest of the threat. He picked up his cup, poised to sip.

Jamie tapped his freckled nose. "Yeah, yeah, we never speak of Sherlock Holmes.

"Your uncle is…" Bunny set down his cup of tea, so much for avoiding a spit take.

She turned to him brushing back a chocolate brown curl. "Yes. Q is waiting and he doesn't like the time difference." She spun on her heel, stalking off to the house.

Bunny stared after her. That woman was wound tighter than a coil in a balance bomb. "Q?"

Jamie popped a crème puff into his mouth and muttered around the mouthful, "Her other uncle, you might like him."

The young man swallowed dusting off his fingers on his North West jacket. "Is he also a…?"

Jamie nodded, muttering something about Seraphina and adjusting his beanie. Bunny stared. He was out of his depth. Really out of his depth. Jamie led the way back to the house laughing at his face.

"Just so you know, they've got some serious connections."

* * *

Read on AO3 for all tags and such. work ID: 682164 chapter ID:1251489

Go to the website and add /work/ and the id number then add /chapter/ and that id number.

Leah: St. Patrick's Day  
Sully: Chinese New Year  
Yes, I made Sophie older than Jamie. I just named the little girl Pippa because I couldn't remember the name I wanted.

Also, anyone who can find the Skyfall fiction (I think it's on AO3) where Q-branch sings/plays Skyfall (the song) to Q and Bond gets my sincere thanks and the title Fan Fiction Sleuth.

If you continue to read here, please pop me a message every once in a while otherwise I might forget to post. Thanks ahead of time.


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